"The cheetah is capable of speedup to 72 mph (114 km/h) and can maintain this speed over an average prey chase of 3.5 miles."

32 m/s

The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is one of the fastest mammals found in
the animal kingdom today. I have searched through many books and other references
to find that the maximum speed of a cheetah is documented with the speed
of about 30 m/s (70 mph).

The book of cheetahs I found said that every part of a cheetah's body is made
for speed. Its body is slender, light and its long tail helps it to stay balanced.
The bones of a cheetah are designed to take punishment. The claws of the Cheetah
do not retract, they grip the ground and help cheetah push off the same way a
track shoe with cleats help a runner start a race.

From standing start, a cheetah can accelerate from zero to 20 m/s in two
seconds, at a rate of 10 m/s2. Most race cars cannot accelerate
that fast.

Alex Schuster -- 1999

Bibliographic Entry

Result(w/surrounding text)

StandardizedResult

Doherty, James G. Natural History. March 1974. as cited in Speed of Animals. InfoPlease Kid's Almanac.